The Brave Little Tailor

One morning, a little tailor sat in his shop. He bent over his work, sewing as he always did this time of day. Suddenly the tailor had a taste for raspberry jelly.

He took out a loaf of bread, and cut a big slice from it. The tailor licked his lips as he spread on some jelly. "I am more hungry than I thought," he told himself. "I sure hope this jelly fills my belly and clears my head."

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The tailor wanted to sew a few more stitches before eating his snack. When he finished, he saw a swarm of flies buzzing around his tasty jelly. The little man waved the flies away with his hand. But they flew right back.

The tailor grabbed a scrap of cloth and growled, "Now I'll let you have it!" The cloth burst through the air as the tailor beat at the buzzing flies.

When he lifted the cloth away, seven flies lay dead on the table. "The whole world should know of my skill!" said the tailor. He cut a belt just his size. With his finest thread, he sewed these words: "Seven in one blow!"

The tailor tied the red belt around his waist. "I feel the need for a big adventure!" he shouted.

The tailor looked for something useful to take with him on his big adventure. All he found was an old piece of cheese. He put it in his pocket. As he was locking the door, he heard a rustle in the bushes.

A bird was trapped among the thorns. The tailor gently pulled the bird from the bush. He put it in his pocket with the cheese. Then he set off to find adventure.

The tailor walked through town and up the side of a mountain. At the top, he met a giant. "Hello, Giant," said the tailor with a bow. "I am on a big adventure. Will you join me?"

"A little man like you on a big adventure?" rumbled the giant. For an answer, the tailor showed the giant his belt. The giant read the words: "Seven in one blow!"

The giant, who was not very smart, thought that the belt meant seven men, not flies. He found it very hard to believe that this tiny tailor could kill seven men with one blow.

So he decided to test the man's strength. "You must be very strong. Can you do this?" asked the giant. He picked up a stone and squeezed it until water dripped from the stone.

The tailor was obviously not as strong as the giant, but he was much more clever. "Watch this," the little tailor said as he took something from his pocket. The giant thought it was a stone, too, but it was actually the piece of cheese.

The tailor squeezed it in his hand until liquid whey dripped from his palm.

Read more about the brave little tailor's adventures on the next page.